Russ Courtnall

Russ Courtnall
Position	Right Wing
Height Weight	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 175 lb (80 kg)
Teams	Toronto Maple Leafs (1983–1988) Montreal Canadiens (1988–1992) Minnesota North Stars (1992–1993) Dallas Stars (1993–1995) Vancouver Canucks (1995–1997) New York Rangers (1997) Los Angeles Kings (1997–1999)
Nationality	Canadian
Born	January 2,1965, Duncan, BC, CAN
NHL Draft	7th overall, 1983 Toronto Maple Leafs
Pro Career	1983 – 1999

Russ Courtnall (born January 2, 1965) is a former National Hockey League player. He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Minnesota North Stars, Dallas Stars, Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings

Courtnall was born in Duncan, British Columbia. Coming out of junior hockey, he was considered one of the top prospects in 1983 and the Toronto Maple Leafs selected him seventh overall in the Entry Draft

In 1982–83, Courtnall scored 36 goals and 61 assists for 97 points in 60 games. After being drafted by the Leafs, Courtnall appeared in just 32 games with the Cougars, scoring 29 goals and 66 points before being called up to the Maple Leafs, who were in dire need of scoring help at the time. As a rookie with Toronto, he scored 12 goals and 22 points in 69 games. Although his goal production was not as high as the Leafs had hoped for, his speed opened up opportunities, especially for his linemates.

In 1984, Courtnall also suited up for the Canadian Olympic team, which finished out of the medals at the Sarajevo Games. Upon returning, he rejoined the Maple Leafs. In 1985–86,(playing alongside fellow Notre Dame Hounds alumni Gary Leeman and rookie Wendel Clark on what was dubbed The Hound Line) Courtnall broke the 20-goal barrier, notching 22 to go along with 38 assists for 60 points. His offensive numbers improved the following year with 29 goals and 73 points.

In trying to force Courtnall to play a tougher brand of hockey, the club saw his offensive production decrease in 1987–88. After just nine games in 1989–89, the Maple Leafs dealt Courtnall to the Montreal Canadiens for John Kordic. Although Courtnall's stock had clearly gone down tremendously, most observers felt Montreal got a steal in that trade.

In 64 games, Courtnall put up 39 points with the Habs, but his fast skating and stickhandling abilities made him a fan favourite. Courtnall saved his best performance for the playoffs, where the Canadiens advanced all the way to the Stanley Cup finals before losing to the Calgary Flames. In 21 post-season games, Courtnall contributed eight goals and 13 points.

Courtnall enjoyed another two-and-a-half years in Montreal before joining the Minnesota North Stars for the 1992–93 season. In 84 games, he managed a career-high 36 goals and 43 assists for 79 points. He followed that up with an 80-point season in the team's first year of play in Dallas. Late in the 1994–95 season, Courtnall was traded to the Vancouver Canucks where he teamed with his brother, Geoff Courtnall, for 13 games that year.

In 1997–98, Courtnall signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Kings, where he played until his retirement following the 1998–99 season. He finished with 297 goals, 447 assists and 744 points in a 15-year NHL career.

Transactions

• November 7, 1989- Traded by the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for John Kordic and Montreal's 1989 6th round draft choice (Mike Doers).
• August 31, 1992- Traded by the Montreal Canadiens to the Minnesota North Stars in exchange for Brian Bellows.
• June 9, 1993- Rights transferred to the Dallas Stars after the Minnesota North Stars relocated.
• April 7, 1995- Traded by the Dallas Stars to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Greg Adams, Dan Kesa and Vancouver's 1995 5th round draft choice.
• March 8, 1997- Traded by the Vancouver Canucks, along with Esa Tikkanen, to the New York Rangers in exchange for Sergei Nemchinov and Brian Noonan.
• November 7, 1997- Signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Kings.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1982–83	Victoria Cougars	WHL		60	36	61	97	33		12	11	7	18	6
1983–84	Victoria Cougars	WHL		32	29	27	66	63		—	—	—	—	—
1983–84	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		14	3	9	12	6		—	—	—	—	—
1984–85	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		69	12	10	22	44		—	—	—	—	—
1985–86	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		73	22	38	60	52		10	3	6	9	8
1986–87	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		79	29	44	73	90		13	3	4	7	11
1987–88	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		65	23	26	49	47		6	2	1	3	0
1988–89	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		9	1	1	2	4		—	—	—	—	—
1988–89	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		64	22	17	39	15		21	8	5	13	18
1989–90	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		80	27	32	59	27		11	5	1	6	10
1990–91	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		79	26	50	76	29		13	8	3	11	7
1991–92	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		27	7	14	21	6		10	1	1	2	4
1992–93	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		84	36	43	79	49		—	—	—	—	—
1993–94	Dallas Stars	NHL		84	23	57	80	59		9	1	8	9	0
1994–95	Dallas Stars	NHL		32	7	10	17	13		—	—	—	—	—
1994–95	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		13	4	14	18	4		11	4	8	21	21
1995–96	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		81	26	39	65	40		6	1	3	4	2
1996–97	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		47	9	19	28	24		—	—	—	—	—
1996–97	New York Rangers	NHL		14	2	5	7	2		15	3	4	7	0
1997–98	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		58	12	6	18	27		4	—	—	—	2
1998–99	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		57	6	13	19	19		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				1029	297	447	744	557		129	39	44	83	83

External links

• Russ Courtnall's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database